Sonar-controlled apparatus for the delivery of electromagnetic radiation
AssigneeNeuroscience Tool Works, Inc.
InventorJonathon Lipman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention comprises devices and methods that deliver electromagnetic radiation (EMR) from an emitter to a target and employ a laser or sonar (a sensing method) to measure distance between the target and EMR emitter and automatically signal the emitter control circuitry to vary either the position or the power output of the emitter (as appropriate) in order to ensure that the effect of any change in distance on the energy incident to the target is compensated rapidly and automatically. In a preferred embodiment, the device is a hand-held, non-contact heatbeam dolorimeter.
Claims5
A non-contact apparatus for regulating delivery of electro-magnetic radiation (EMR) to a target site, said apparatus comprising:
- a non-contact emitter;
- a distance sensor;
- and
- an emitter control device,
- wherein said delivery of electromagnetic radiation is automatically regulated as a function of target-site distance through interaction of the distance sensor and the emitter control device;
- wherein the non-contact emitter is a radiant heat source;
- wherein the distance sensor is a sonar-ranging sensor;
- wherein the emitter control device is a radiant heat source control device;
- wherein said apparatus provides an automatically-controlled heating rate at the target site when the target-site distance changes but remains within an effective distance range;
- wherein the target site is a site on a subject's skin;
- and wherein the apparatus is a dolorimeter for determining pain tolerance,
- said apparatus further comprising a non-contact temperature-measuring device, wherein said apparatus is capable of being employed for determining pain tolerance without tactile stimulation of the site on the subject's skin by said apparatus or by any other means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.